Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-08-27
.yye do most emphaticallv protest

uWe do most emphaticallv protest
against the penny-alincrs writing from
this county. to the Richmond and Bal
timore papers, such 'eXaeerating re-
ports of the most triaing disturbances
that takes place In our midst. Either
they do not know ordo not care WHAT
reputation they are giving our people
abroad, so they can create Il little sensa-
ton for the papers for which they write,
and thereby increase their profits. We
are not nppos ID to the full facts being
known, and when they are known we
challenge a comnarison of Accomack
with any other county III the State, and
we will pit the morals of Ouancock and
vicinity against any Other section any
where"
Feeling assured that this article Was
intended mainly, if not exclusively for
me. beg leave TO say a few words In
reply through your widely circulated
Journal. In tile first place most em-
phatically DENY that I ever wrote an
..eXagerating" report Of any disturbance
that took place III our midst or in any
body clse's midst. inreportingt the DIS.
graceful row TINT occurred two Sundays
ago at the colored camp-lneeting near
this town. l was made by the printer to
say 10, 600 people were present, when 1
wrote 5000; and the types also made me
say Lew Costin though wrote Sew Cos
tin as plainly as 1 could. am yet q boy
and do not write a good hand. but do
know how to spell 'eXaggerate," which
the learned editor of the Virginian in
sists on spelling with one "g. He
would do well to study Webster's I'm
abridged little more before he UNDER
takes to criticise the poor "penny-a-.
llnersn as he contenptuously calls US
Well, suppose he is not a penny a.
liner" for the simple reason that he does
not begin to get a penny for every line
that he writes. Some people around
here think the learned editor is hard on
the ''penny-a.liners' because they get
ahead of him so often in reporting news,
thus making 1t stale when his account
comes out in the Virginian. Several
weeks ago a joint committee of the
Democratic party held meeting at the
burlington Camp Ground TO arrange for
nominating a "Floater." The penny
a-lirer" got the news and sent it off ut
once to the city papers but the editor Of
the Virrinian said nothing about the
meeting till nearly two weeks later. when
he copied il bodily from the ENTER
PRISE. The main difference between
the "penlly -a-liners" and the editor OF,
the Viiginian is that they always report
the facts promptly, while he sometimes
suppresses them. I,lon't know how the
penny-a-lners' got AHEAD OF him in re-
porting this meeting, for know he
was on the ground and passed right Nv
the place where the meeting was going
on but report says Brother Weaver has
got a very sore toe, and that the wicked
spenny-a- liners" gobbled up the meet
ing and ran off with it while he was
nursing his big toe.
Two Sundays ago there WAS an un-
usual amount of fighting throughout the
day 1T the colored camp-mertlng that
was then going on near this town.
Many were drunk. and the preachers
had tosuspend services several times to
uuell the disturbance. At night John
Bailey, alias Rat Tail, turbulent ne
gro, well known i'll these parts kicked
up rumpus. cursed the preacher in the
stand and threatened to cut him up into
mncemeat, and did dangerously cut a
peaceable colored man who tried to make
him behave himself. and then left his
country for his country's good. The
.peilny-a-liners" again got ahead of
Brother Weaver who now tries to make
it appear that the "penny-a-liners sent
"exagerative reports about the riotous
proceedings. In reporting this affair !
did not say a word against the morals of
Onancock and its vicinity, and [ did not
know before I read the article in the Yir-
ginian that John Bailey and his gang
were fair representatives of "our peo-
ple.n Respectfully ubmitted,
THOMAS T.. BAGwELL, JR.
Onancuck, Aug. 24th.